Carlsberg: heading East

The Danish brewing giant is raising the stakes in the Russian beer market. Baltic Beverage Holding, a joint venture between Carlsberg and Finnish brewer Oyj Hartwall is already market leader. The acquisition of the Voronezh brewery improves its position still further, leaving Carlsberg well placed to benefit from the strong growth in Russian beer consumption.

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Heineken: showing bravado in Russia

Heineken, Europe's largest brewer and distributor of beer, already has a presence in the Russian market. But Bravo is still a worthy prize: in just two years, the brewer has created some of Russia's best-loved beers. The takeover will allow Heineken to increase production and improve market share, both for the Bravo brands and its own.

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Russian dairy: Danone and Wimm-Bill-Dann in a high growth market

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Scottish & Newcastle: brewing up a storm in the East

The major attraction is Hartwall's 50% share of Russia's leading brewer BBH. S&N has been relatively weak in high-growth emerging markets, but its recent acquisitions including Hartwall are changing the situation. As a result, the rumored three-way merger between S&N, SAB and Miller is looking increasingly unlikely.

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Hartwall/BBH: warm results may not last

Hartwall benefited in the first half of 2002 from increased sales at its Russian joint venture, BBH. But although this market has been growing fast for many years, it has recently shown signs of slowing down. Much of the growth this time round was driven by good weather - so new owner S&N must pray for a warm autumn if it is to reap dividends from Russia.

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Summer goods: a sales wash out

Summer goods manufacturers, particularly in the drinks sector, have suffered from poor sales this summer as a direct result of the unseasonal weather across Europe. Pimm's and soft drink maker Nichols have seen demand drop, and the weather is also causing the Russians to drink less beer. However, as the fall approaches, manufacturers will be hoping to increase sales of cold weather products.

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Valentine's Day: say it with...chocolates

Valentine's is traditionally a day of love and romance, though cynics would call it a money-spinning dream for the producers of flowers and chocolates. Whatever the reasons, chocolate is big business. Datamonitor's Joanne Birtwistle looks at the global popularity of chocolate, for Valentine's and otherwise...<BR /><BR />

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Scottish & Newcastle: Russian beer hibernation

Scottish & Newcastle [SCTN.L], the UK's largest brewer, has unveiled low growth in sales of its best-selling Baltika beer in Russia. Sales have suffered from unusually cold weather during the summer months. However, this market still holds potential for future growth, especially in comparison to the saturated western European markets.

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Foster's: the beer that came in from the cold

Foster's is to make its debut in Russia after an agreement was signed between the Foster's Brewing International and Baltika Breweries. Foster's will be brewed and marketed by the Russian firm. The lager brand is likely to be positioned as a 'super premium' offering aimed at wealthy young Russians: if successful, the wider brand may benefit from this cold climate chic.

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InBev: in the realm of the Russian beer

Following the purchase of Alfa-Eco's stake in Sun Interbrew, InBev now has almost complete control of the Russian brewing giant. The move is a significant step towards InBev achieving its expansion objectives in the country and could well prove timely as the Russian beer market continues to grow.

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